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In spite of all the running information being zapped around the Internet,
the best way to get good information on running is from books. The
Internet has no editors corralling what you get, so in most cases youre
getting exactly what you pay for. Books go through numerous editing
stages on their way to putting ink to paper and are typically many times
more reliable than Internet sources.
Over the years there have been hundreds of good books written on
runningon every aspect of running you can think of, from biography
to novel, training to inspirational essays. The following 25 titles would
make for a solid library on the sport and lifestyle of running.
1. Beardsley, Dick, and Anderson, Maureen. Staying the Course: A
Runners Toughest Race. University of Minnesota Press, 2002,
203 pages. The toughest race the subtitle refers to is not a run-
ning marathon, but rather the marathon battle Dick Beardsley
has been waging since 1996 to stay clean of prescription pain
pills, to which he became addicted in the wake of several very
serious surgical operations. The Beards comes across as humble
and likable, which he is. He also comes across as an unfaltering
inspiration, which he also is.
2. Benyo, Richard, and Henderson, Joe. Running Encyclopedia:
The Ultimate Source for Todays Runner. Human Kinetics,
2002, 417 pages. Youre rightthis does look like bare-naked self-
promotion. It is and it isnt. To get the most out of any hobby or
lifestyle, you need to know as much as possible about it. Although,
like any encyclopedia, the book carries its listings alphabetically,
the authors attempted to make every listing readable. Lets face
it, if youre talking to other runners and they mention fartlek or
Zatopek, you want to know what theyre talking about, and you
want to be able to be conversant on the subject.
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Onl i ne Appendi x
25 Running Books
You Should Read
From R. Benyo, 2011, Timeless Running Wisdom (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
3. Burfoot, Amby. The Runners Guide to the Meaning of Life.
Rodale, 2000, 150 pages. For many years, Amby was the executive
editor of Runners World; hes now editor-at-large. He won the 1968
Boston Marathon and is one of the really swell guys in running
and one of its best chroniclers. In essence, the style of the little
stories in this book captures well the guy who is Amby, and thats
seldom been accomplished in so few words.
4. Christman, Paul. The Purple Runner. Highgate Lane Press,
1983, 229 pages. There are a goodly number of running novels
(and novels that include running), but this is one of the best. It
is a fantasy in which the characters are very much alive. Its pri-
mary plus is that Christman lived in England where the novel
takes place. He does a good job of capturing the London locale,
the weather, and the inhabitants, from chilly gloomy days to foul
exhaust from passing cabs.
5. Costill, David. A Scientifc Approach to Distance Running.
Tafnews, 1979, 128 pages. Dave Costill sat down with every sci-
entifc report he could fnd, stirred them into the pot where he
was brewing his own research, and came up with a landmark book
that still stands up well today. A lot of people have since written
a lot of books aimed at studying the runner and coming up with
a scientifc approach to training the runner, but this is the one
where it all started, and it remains a very readable tome.
6. Derderian, Tom. Boston Marathon. Human Kinetics, 1994, 1996,
635 pages. In preparation for the races centennial run in 1996,
longtime hard-core runner and writer Tom Derderian took on
the daunting task of putting down on paper a century of Boston
history. But the words are not the only fascinating thing about
the book; it features a collection of priceless photos, going all the
way back to a group shot of the Boston Athletic Associations 1896
Olympic team.
7. Galloway, Jeff. Galloways Book on Running. Shelter Publi-
cations/Random House, 1984, 287 pages. Jeff Galloway, a 1972
Olympian at 10,000 meters, breaks the book into eight sections:
starting, training, racing, tuning, injuries, food, shoes, and start to
fnish. Theres nothing very complicated about the book, which is
what makes it noteworthy and charmingthat and the fact that
Jeffs buoyant and always-encouraging personality comes through.
It would work perfectly well to introduce a novice to the various
stages of running.
8. Henderson, Joe. The Long Run Solution. World Publications,
1976, 182 pages. This book is a 182-page poem to the glories of
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25 Running Books You Should Read
From R. Benyo, 2011, Timeless Running Wisdom (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
long-distance running and has very few references to anchor in
the reality of time and place; it is more philosophy for the ages.
Joe (editor of Runners World from 1970 to 1977) has written more
than two dozen books, but this is the one I keep coming back to,
reading it every fve or six years.
9. Higdon, Hal. On the Run From Dogs and People. Regnery,
1971, 239 pages; Chicago Review Press, 1979, 223 pages; Roadrun-
ner Press, 1995, 240 pages. This book is a delightful mix of infor-
mation on running, observations on runnings place in the world
(and in 1971, there wasnt much running to make an impression
on the world), and humor at the absurdity of it all. The humor
makes the book a classic.
10. Jordan. Tom. Pre. Rodale, 1977/1997, 168 pages. Steve Prefon-
taine, thanks to the two feature-length flms made about him (Pre
and Without Limits), is frmly anchored in the legends of American
runners. Tom Jordan knew Pre and closely followed his career. In
this book he captures one of the most legendary of all runners. A
bonus is a scrapbook of photos of Pres career.
11. Kardong, Don. Thirty Phone Booths to Boston. Macmillan,
1985, 179 pages. When Don failed to make the cut for getting
onto the press van at the Boston Marathon, he drove along the
course in advance, hopped out at 30 pay phone booths, and wrote
down their phone numbers. Then, from his hotel room in Boston,
he called the phone booths in sequence during the race and took
down reports of the race from whomever answered. Its probably
the most hilarious race report ever written.
12. Krise, Raymond, and Squires, Bill. Fast Tracks: The History of
Distance Running. The Stephen Greene Press, 1982, 282 pages.
This book chronicles the sport all the way up to 1981. Krise (an
English major) and Squires combine their talents and considerable
knowledge to produce an eminently readable book that literally
covers it all. Especially interesting is the interwoven history of the
fabled marathon.
13. McDougall, Christopher. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super-
athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.
Knopf, 2009, 287 pages. Stripped down, the book is about a race
nobody saw between the legendary long-distance gods, the Tara-
humara Indians of the Copper Canyon in Mexico, and a handful
of colorful ultrarunners from the outside world. Most running
books are either how-to, biographies/autobiographies, or essays
on the joys and tribulations of running long. McDougalls rich-
textured narrative contains a bouquet of those types woven into
the ongoing story.
25 Running Books You Should Read
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From R. Benyo, 2011, Timeless Running Wisdom (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
14. McNab, Tom. Flanagans Run. Morrow, 1982, 443 pages. This
novel follows the bright idea of Charles C. Flanagan, an opportu-
nistic sometimes-fimfam man, to stage a great footrace from Los
Angeles to New York for the sole purpose of making a boatload of
money. Flanagan is, of course, based on the real-life C.C. Pyle (The
C.C. often referred to as Cash and Carry), who put on the frst
(take a deep breath to get this all out) C.C. Pyles First Annual
International-Trans-Continental Foot Race, Los Angeles to New
York1928. I wont spoil the plot(s), but the always-resourceful
Flanagan bonds with his charges, and together they weave a story
of courage and camaraderie that is entertaining while still being
edgy and warm.
15. Moore, Kenny. Bowerman and the Men of Oregon. Rodale,
2006, 432 pages. This is a biography of one of the seminal fgures in
the original running boom written by one of the seminal scribes. It
doesnt hurt that Kenny Moore was also coached by Bill Bowerman.
16. Noakes, Tim, MD. Lore of Running: Discover the Science and
Spirit of Running. Human Kinetics, 1991, 804 pages. The book
is divided into three sections: the physiology of the exercising
body, the training of the human body wishing to run long, and
health and medical considerations. There is little more a runner
interested in the science and art of running could need. It is all
here in minute detail, presented in prose that makes the science
available to the layperson.
17. Osler, Tom, and Dodd, Ed. Ultra-running: The Next Challenge.
World Publications, 1979, 299 pages. This book, by two of the
greats in the ultra world in the 1970s, is actually two books in one.
In the frst half, Ed Dodd gives a detailed history of ultrarunning,
with special attention to the six-day races. In the second half, Tom
Osler, a math professor and AAU 25K and 30K champion, deals
with the how-to of ultrarunning.
18. Robinson, Roger. Running in Literature: A Guide for Schol-
ars, Readers, Runners, Joggers, and Dreamers. Breakaway
Books, 2003, 304 pages. This book would be of value to runners
interested in expanding their enjoyment of the sport if it contained
only the chapter on debunking the myth of Pheidippides death
at the gates of Athens and the chapter picking the best running
novels of all time. But it provides much more, going all the way
back to the ancient world, oral cultures, and the Bible, and coming
all the way to the present with two new poems about running. In
between, Roger introduces the reader to the running footmen, the
sport of hare and hounds, and even the runner as villain.
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25 Running Books You Should Read
From R. Benyo, 2011, Timeless Running Wisdom (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
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19. Sachs, Michael L., and Buffone, Gary W., editors. Running as
Therapy: An Integrated Approach. Jason Aronson, Inc., (1984)
1997, 341 pages. This book is one of those rare scientifc texts that
is eminently accessible to the lay public. It contains 17 selections
that address everything from running and depression to running
addiction. Scientifc writings often have massive footnoting, but
in this book, each chapter has references nicely laid out at the end.
And the references provide a virtual data bank of sources you can
scour and use in your own research.
20. Sandrock, Michael. Running With the Legends. Human Kinet-
ics, 1996, 575 pages. Mikes premise in this book is that if we study
the best, we can become better ourselves. Although the book is
huge, Mikes writing style is very accessiblepainlessly narrative
rather than didactic. He teaches lessons through stories rather than
through lecturing, and in the process weaves marvelous profles
of astonishing runners.
21. Shapiro, James E. Meditations From the Breakdown Lane:
Running Across America. Random House, 1982, 237 pages.
Jim Shapiro set off to run across America pretty much unaided
(except for being accompanied by a car crossing the desert so he
could get water when he needed it) from California to his native
New York. He set out to see America, up close and personal, and
thanks to Jims writing skills, the book never slows.
22. Sheehan, George. Dr. Sheehan on Running. World Publica-
tions, 1975, 205 pages. This is the book that launched Dr. George
Sheehan, a Red Bank, New Jersey, cardiologist, on a parallel career
as the guru of running. Joe Henderson, former editor of Runners
World, persuaded Doc Sheehan to pen not one, but two columns
in Runners World: one a question and answer column in which
The Doc answered runners medical questions, and the second a
sort of philosophy-of-running column that soon blossomed into
the most popular page in the magazine. After several years, Joe
gathered the best of the columns and put them together in this
book, and Doc Sheehans second career soon outpaced his frst
career by miles.
23. Switzer, Kathrine. Marathon Woman. DaCapo, 2007, 418
pages. When this book frst came out, we praised it in Marathon
& Beyond, calling it The most important running book of the last
ten years. On a second read, we second that praise. Kathrines
personal story is fascinating, and her recreation of some of the
behind-the-scenes politics and dealing derring-do is compelling
and often reads more like a novel. The fact that Kathrine is an
accomplished writer makes the stories even tastier.
From R. Benyo, 2011, Timeless Running Wisdom (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
24. Ward, Michael. Ellison Tarzan Brown. McFarland & Com-
pany, 2006, 443 pages. Tarzan Brown was one of the most colorful
men to ever line up in Hopkinton to race to Boston. A Narragansett
Indian, Brown earned his spot beside other outstanding Indian
athletes such as the runner Tom Longboat and the astonishing Jim
Thorpe. Michael Ward, a musician by trade, scoured every source
he could think of to come up with tidbits of information, which
he wove together in this lengthy but fascinating biography that
dispels much of the myth surrounding the athlete.
25. Yasso, Bart. My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and
Insights of a Road Racing Icon. Rodale, 2009, 270 pages. Bart
Yasso had a fascinating life, spending some of it as a neer-do-well
before fnding runningor before running found him. Since then
he has served as a cheerleader for the sport like no one else ever
has. In his autobiography, he brought it all together: all the ups
and downs, all the trips down blind alleys, and the trips he was
ill-advised to take, from running too close to rhinos to running
nude. Barts story is inspiring and entertaining. He occasionally
takes himself seriously, but he never stays in that state of mine
for too long. Hes always moving.
I chose the 25 books reviewed here for their readability and their
impact on the world of running. This explains why there are precious
few how-to-run books on the list. Books that teach runners to run or
that teach runners to run better are a backbone of the sport and lifestyle,
but lets face it, they are primarily technical . . . and page after page of
training programs do not great literature make.
Without training books by the likes of Jack Daniels, Joe Henderson,
Hal Higdon, Jeff Galloway, Bob Glover, Pete Pftzinger, Arthur Lydiard,
and others, the sport would be a bumping-into-walls kind of place. The
value of the how-to-run books cannot be emphasized enough. But they
are seldom a compelling read, whereas these 25 books are.
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25 Running Books You Should Read
From R. Benyo, 2011, Timeless Running Wisdom (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).